Key of pianofortes



PATENTED APR. 20, 1852.

W. E. FURGANG. KEY FOB, MUSICAL INSTRUMENTS.

ay-a nu: NORRIS PETERS 00., wAsmNmam-m c I UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE.

WM. F. FURGANG, OF ALBANY, NEW YORK.

KEY 0F PIANOFOBTES, ORGANS, 86C.

Specification of Letters Patent No. 8,887, dated April 20, 1852.

To all whom it may concern.-

Be it known that I, WILLIAM F. FURGANG, of the city of Albany and State of New York, have invented a new and useful Improvement in the Construction of the Keys of Organs, Pianofortes, and other Similar Instruments; and I declare the following specification, with the drawings hereunto at tached as part of the same, to be a full and perfect description thereof.

In the drawings similar letters refer to the same parts of the apparatus.

The difficulty of effecting rapid move ments on the chromatic scale by running the fingers over the keys of a musical instrument is well known to every practical musician. This difliculty arises from the irregular surfaces of the keys, the half notes being elevated above the other keys of the board, rendering it impossible until after long practice to run the fingers consecutively over every note of the key-board with the necessary rapidity to execute many difficult pieces of music. To remove this difliculty I have made certain additions to theconstruction of the keys, in order to enable the finger or fingers of the performer to slide over, or to touch with ease successively and with any required rapidity of movement every key of the board.

Figure 1 represents a plan of part of the key board with the keys of one octave, that part lying between a, a, o, 2), representing the ordinary keysthat part lying between a, a, a, a, showing my improvement, which is also shown in Fig. 2 which represents the profile of a range of keys, 2 being the lower range of keys, y the half note keys, and w my improvement.

This improvement consists simply in plac- .ing on all the keys, just behind the range of the half note keys finger pieces or blocks 00, :0, w, rising just above the surface of the half note keys, forming an unintermitting set of keys on the same level for the whole chromatic scale from one end of the key board to the other. It is manifest that this arrangement will enable the performer to run his fingers over the whole board, wit-h as much ease as is now done over the lower range of keys 2, z, 2.

Figs. 3 and 4t represent in plan and in profile another mode of construction, in which the improvement is attached 'to the ends or tips of the ordinary keys, instead of being placed behind the half note keys; the half note keys being carried between and under the lower keys for that purpose.

The first described mode of construction can be applied to an ordinary set of keys by reducing the depth of the keys y, y, and carrying them so far forward to the front of the keyboard, so as to permit the insertion of the new keys av, 50, a3, behind them.

Figs. 5 and 6 show in plan and profile another mode of construction in which in the place of ordinary flat topped keys, there are substituted small rollers '0, '0, placed between standards S, S erected on the keys.

I do not limit myself to any particular position for my improvement upon the keys of an instrument, placing them wherever they may best accomplish the end in view.

I claim The improvement of the finger keys of organs, pianofortes, or any other musical instruments played in a similar manner by constructing part of every key in such man nor that when in position on the key board, such part of each key shall be both level and in range with the similar parts of the other keys; so that the running of a finger over the keys of the whole chromatic scale, on the keyboard, may be capable of producing similar effects, to those that can now be produced, by a similar running of a finger over the lower range of keys of piano-fortes as now constructed: substantially in' manner and form as set forth in the above specification.

V. F. FURGANG. lVitnesses:

Rose VARIOK DE Wlr'r, JAMES B. SANDERS. 

